"Wrong way on the Interstate"

I had begun this post thinking I would highlight the votes of various members of the Tennessee Congressional delegation in regards to the troop surge resolution.

During my research I stumbled upon a speach given by the bravest conservative congressman in the country: my representative Jimmy Duncan.

As you may remember he was one of only 2 congressional republicans to vote against the initial invasion of Iraq. Here we are 4 years later and Congress is voting on a symbolic resolution opposing President Bush's recent troop surge.

Here's what Duncan had to say on February 14th:

To me our misadventure in Iraq is both unconstitutional and unaffordable. Some have said it was a mistake to start this war but that now that we are there we have to finish the job, and we cannot cut and run. Well, if you find out you are going the wrong way down the interstate, you do not keep going, you get off at the next exit.

There is no way, Mr. Speaker, we can keep all of our promises to our own people on Social Security, veterans’ benefits, and many other things in the years ahead if we keep trying to run the whole world.

As another columnist, Georgie Anne Geyer, wrote more than 3 years ago, Americans “will inevitably come to a point where they will see they have to have a government that provides services at home or one that seeks empire across the globe.”

[C]onservatives have traditionally been the strongest opponents to interventionist foreign policies that create so much resentment for us around the world.

[...]

Finally, Mr. Speaker, we need to tell all of these defense contractors that the time for this Iraq gravy train with its obscene profits is over.

It is certainly no criticism of our troops to say that this was a very unnecessary war. It has always been more about money and power and prestige than any real threat to us or to our people. And this war went against every traditional conservative position I have ever known.

It is time, Mr. Speaker, to bring our troops home.

I hope you take the time to read Duncan's speach in its entirety. (Also I'd love it if someone had recorded it on C-SPAN and put it on YouTube).

For those of you who are still wondering about the resolution and how your Congressman voted:

Yays--
Jimmy Duncan - 2nd District (R)
Lincoln Davis - 4th District (D)
Jim Cooper - 5th District (D)
Bart Gordon - 6th District(D)
John Tanner - 8th District (D)
Steve Cohen - 9th District (D)

Nays--
David Davis - 1st District (R)
Zach Wamp - 3rd District (R)
Marsh Blackburn - 7th District (R)

Another interesting tidbit -- Dennis Hastert didn't vote?

UPDATE:
Kleinheider has a statement from Lincoln Davis.
WBIR has an interview with Duncan.
Knoxviews also gives Duncan a pat on the back.